I just stumbled upon a post about cleaning that I really needed to read.  Badly.  I have always been the kind of person to kind of chuck everything in the pantry after I use it and leave the organizing for later.  The problem is that later never comes and I’m left with a heap of stuff, half of which I don’t remember ever buying.  I would call it the food graveyard.  I could have revived some things had I known they were there.

That’s the organizational aspect of my pantry problems, but let’s not even get into the actual cleaning part.  I’m more of a messy person than a dirty person, but there are certain places I just never think to clean and the pantry is one of them.  I’m really lucky that there are other writers and neat freaks out there willing to offer tips on how to fix that problem.

RealSimple.com has some great tips on organizing your pantry and I’d like to share a few of them here.  Have a look and then comment below if you’ve got anything else I should know about cleaning and organizing.

*Important: Before you do anything, make sure you’ve moved the trash can near the pantry since, let’s face it, you’re probably going to fill at least one bag up if you’ve gotten things really out of order.*

• Take everything off the shelves and put it on the counter so you can see what you’re dealing with.  Throw away the expired stuff and herbs that have been sitting for a while.  Don’t worry about the honey and brown sugar.  Those last forever.  Maybe I should just fill my pantry with those so I’ll never have to clean again!
• Make a pile of nonperishables that you need to get rid of.  You don’t have to throw them out.  Instead, donate them to a local charity.
• Wipe down sticky and dusty jars and cans with a sponge cloth dipped into warm water and dish soap.
• Vacuum out the crumbs (you know you have them, too), paying special attention to the corners.

This isn’t even close to being a full list of what RealSimple writers have to say on the subject.  Told you they were smart.  Click the link above and scan through everything they’ve got on their tips list.  Now that I’ve shared with you, share with me!

Photo credit:lusi